Since it's founding in 1997, the CYC-Net discussion group has been asked thousands of questions. These questions often generate many replies from people in all spheres of the Child and Youth Care profession and contain personal experiences, viewpoints, as well as recommended resources.
Below are some of the threads of discussions on varying Child and Youth Care related topics.
Questions and Responses have been reproduced verbatim.
Listen to thisTwo queries:
1. Afternoon,
I have registered for a Masters degree at the University of the Western
Cape. The research question that I will attempt to answer is "The impact
on parents when their children are removed through a statutory process.”
The theoretical framework I am using is Attachment Theory. My question
is whether anyone can suggest readings on this topic and, if so could
you please send me further information or links.
Regards
Alfred
...
2. Hi,
I would also be incredibly interested in any information anyone may have
on attachment theory. I’m looking at the social/emotional impact on
children from the ages of 8-12. How being relocated across the united
States with one parent affects these children, when leaving the other
parent, siblings and extended family behind. Couldn’t this also affect
their education? Any literature or insight would be helpful. Thank you.
Michelle
...
Gabor Mate. He is truly amazing and his approach is right from
childhood through trauma experiences and he believes attachment is
repairable. I have been working on rebuilding this through my grown
children and it has been working. Attachment is so important and all of
us as parents, caregivers, and the Ministry of Children and Family
Development need to grasp this before future generations grow up with
brokenness. Best of luck.
One book is Hold on to Your Kids by Gordon Neufield and Gordon
Mate
Lisa-Dawn
...
Greetings Alfred!
Your topic is really an interesting one and relevant to the current
situation faced by both parents and practitioners (a dilemma for both).
The materials that comes to mind are:
1. Bowlby theory
2. Ainsworth and Bowlby
3. Cater & Mcgoldrick
4. Salvadoe Minuchi
5. Children related Policies
6. Values embedded in the profession
Most of the information is a bit old (outdated) but I would assume that
there are articles that might have been developed around this topic.
Good luck Alfred.
Gugu
…
If you visit CYC-Net you will find a search box at the top right hand
corner of the front page. You are able to carry out a keyword search
there, e.g. attachment, which should find you many interesting articles
on the subject – Eds.)
…
Sounds excellent.
I recommend getting in touch with Judy Atkinson, Indigenous Elder from
Australia.
Judy runs We Al-li which you can find at
http://www.wealli.com.au/
Go Well!
Cheers,
Deanna
…
Bowlby and Ainsworth are critical to understanding the development of
Attachment theory (safe base, internal working models, etc.)
You might also take a look at Mary Main's work in adult attachment and
also Sue Bartholomew at Simon Fraser University and her four attachment
styles in adolescence:
http://summit.sfu.ca/system/files/iritems1/7019/b18025857.pdf
Hesse and then Fonaghy also contributed to the
attachment conceptualizations.
All the best with your project Alfred
Rochelle
...
Hello – best to you on an interesting and important research project.
While attachment theory is a good entry point for understanding how
children and young people adapt to circumstances beyond their control, I
would also draw to your attention soci-cultural approaches found within
the sociology of childhood which include indicators for race-based
assumptions, political, historical, gendered, sexual identity, and
poverty contexts. Bronfenbrenner gets at some of this with his 'nested'
framework, but to pull out individual children without looking at these
larger contexts is to risk missing something 'incredibly' important and
interesting.
In our Canadian context, for example, the Indian Act (originally created
in 1876) is a race-based, historical context for colonial settler
relations that had huge impacts on kids being uprooted in the '60's
scoop' (which took place across the US as well). Looking at how
individual kids cope, adapt and become resilient – or not – without
taking socio-cultural and historical factors into account can often lead
to very different findings and conclusions in research projects.
Best of luck in your work.
kind regards,
Richard
…
Dr. Marlene Moretti (and colleagues) have written extensively on the
relationship between attachment and mental health (as we conceptualize
it in the Western world). More specifically, her work has focused on the
use of attachment theory to better understand aggression and violence,
and the development of attachment-based parenting programs for youth
engaging in high risk behaviours (like the CONNECT Parent Group). You
can find a full list of articles and chapters at
www.adolescenthealth.ca
under the "Research" heading.
From one Masters student to another – all the best!
Aubrey
...
Hi Alfred and Michelle,
I attended a conference in Sydney Aus in 2014 where Professor Gillian
Schofield, Centre for Research on Families and Children, University of
East Anglia, UK spoke about her research and work with parents of
children who had been removed through the statutory system. Her work may
be of help.
In addition Nicola Atwool of Otago University in New Zealand has written
extensively on attachment theory and her doctorate thesis called The
role of Attachment Assessments in Making Decisions for Children in Care
makes good reading.
Cheers,
Edwina
...
I’d recommend Daniel Hughes’ work wholeheartedly, especially one book
Building the Bonds of Attachment, and another by Kate Cairns:
Attachment, Trauma and Resilience.
I agree with others that concepts of historical and
generational trauma coming out of the American Indian community are
integral to understanding the role histories of colonialism, racism, and
classism have had in constructing the child welfare system.
Also, while the following are more theoretical and critical of the
helping professions, Ivan Illich's Disabling Professions, John
Mcknight’s The Uncaring Society and Specht and Courtney’s
Desolation Angels all offer prescient critiques of social services
as industrialization of caring that is now more interested in advocating
for itself rather than in creating any stable social institutions that
could produce safety or stability for families, let alone children
removed from family.
Good luck. Make waves.
Peter DeLong
